Teaching Psychology ethics in Turkey: The evaluation of a study in terms of adoption of ethical behavior, moral values, and ethical rules

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the change on adoption of ethical behavior, moral values and ethical rules of students as a result of following the ethics curriculum, class practices, and exercises as suggested by an ethics book. Those participants who took the course and those who didn't were given Ethical Behavior Inventory (EBI), Defining Issues Test (DIT) and Psychology Department-Ethical Rules Questionnaire at the pre-test and post-test. There was no significant difference in EBI between the groups in the pretest. In the post-test, students who took the course scored significantly lower in passive answers and significantly higher supervision need answers compared to the other students who didn't take the course. Comparison of pre-test and post-test results within students who took the course showed that passive answers decreased and warning others' answers increased significantly. Students who didn't take the course showed no significant difference in EBI in terms of the pre-test and post-test level. Comparing pre-test and post-test applications of DIT showed no significant difference between groups, but there was significant difference within the groups. Indeed, students who took the course showed an increase in post-conventional schema scores, whereas students who didn't take the course showed a significant increase in protecting norms schema level and increase in post-conventional schema scores at post-test. According to the results of Psychology Department-Ethical Rules Questionnaire, in which the answers were evaluated as percentages, it is understood that the students have learned the importance of ethical rules of psychology publication. Taken together, results demonstrated the importance of taking an ethics course on the acquisition of ethical values and knowledge as well as being more active in terms of ethics.